There has been a lot of buzz around stone grilling/cooking recently, and a couple of restaurants are now based on this concept. A lot of restaurants in North India offer Pathhar Kebab - meats cooked on a hot stone. Naturally, excitement and curiosity kicked in big time and we decided to find out more. There is a lot of information on the internet on this topic. In the US you can buy a lava stone - which is the preferred stone - for your restaurant or for your home.
First we had no idea where to get a big enough lava stone from. So we decided to try the stone that is available to us - granite. We mounted it on our charcoal grill. Next dilemma, what would we cook on it? In a simple experiment, we put our current meat recipes on the stone, heated up with coals and wood fire. Lo behold - it worked. It worked better than our skillets.
It takes a couple of hours to get the stone hot enough to cook (given the size of the stone) but it retains heat evenly and for a longer time. It took us a while to get to the right thickness of the stone. The first few were too thin and cracked on heating. Now that we have the right thickness, cooking on the stone is a breeze. The rise and fall in temperature in never sudden and hence easily controlled. You can leave food on it unattended without the fear of it burning. Over prolonged use, the stone blackens. This we realized is called seasoning, which imparts better flavour and reduced cooking time.
We now make our Mutton Chops & Steaks, Pork Chops and Beef Steaks on the stone. We don't call these 'pathar kebabs' or any other fancy name. Instead on one big stone, we've ordered three small stones. They will heat up quicker and people who are averse to eating beef or pork are assured that the meats are cooked separately.
So come and enjoy these flavoured meats at The Farm. In the meantime, we'll figure out if we can do veggies on the stone.
Wednesday, May 27, 2009
Thursday, May 7, 2009
Our Food - The Feast at The Farm
Gluttony is the sincerest form of flattery at The Farm, and that’s exactly what 'The Feast at The Farm' makes you want to do. The Feast runs only on the weekends, that is Friday and Saturday nights.
We start you off with refreshing chilled tender coconut water and Farm fresh garlic bread, chips and dips while you wait in the lounge for your table. The main course consists of a variety of mouth-watering meats and veggies thrown on the grill served with chutneys dips and grilled salad.
There is also delicious hand spread pizzas fresh out of our wood-fired brick oven, stuffed Parathas and Naans served hot from our Tandoor with butter made form our own dairy.
If you still have space in your stomach and crave to end the feast with some roti rice and dal, help yourself to home cooked dal and curries. We cook our rice, dals and curries over our smokeless chulha. Condiments like the famous Farm made pickles and curds are served with hot Tandoori Roti and Lachcha parathas.
Then there is desert served in the lounge with tea/coffee to get you back on your feet again. Eat all you want of any one course or all of it.
A feast by definition is a sumptuous entertainment or meal for many guests. And here at the farm guest are welcome to do precisely as they want. Mingle with other guests, get behind the grill and grill your own food. Or you could even make your own pizza. Once you are full, there's always a mattress in the lounge for you to lie down and chill till you are able to move again to your car to head back home.
Of'course we do not charge for mineral water and refreshments are included in the price.
'The Feast at The Farm' is by reservation only, priced at Rs 500.00 (plus taxes) per person. For RS 500, you choose what you want to eat and how much. Stay as long as you want to in the lounge (11:00 PM is closing time). So give us a heads up on +91 9176050562 and drop in. We recommend making reservations at least a day in advance. Whether you come alone or in a group, come hungry, very hungry.
We start you off with refreshing chilled tender coconut water and Farm fresh garlic bread, chips and dips while you wait in the lounge for your table. The main course consists of a variety of mouth-watering meats and veggies thrown on the grill served with chutneys dips and grilled salad.
There is also delicious hand spread pizzas fresh out of our wood-fired brick oven, stuffed Parathas and Naans served hot from our Tandoor with butter made form our own dairy.
If you still have space in your stomach and crave to end the feast with some roti rice and dal, help yourself to home cooked dal and curries. We cook our rice, dals and curries over our smokeless chulha. Condiments like the famous Farm made pickles and curds are served with hot Tandoori Roti and Lachcha parathas.
Then there is desert served in the lounge with tea/coffee to get you back on your feet again. Eat all you want of any one course or all of it.
A feast by definition is a sumptuous entertainment or meal for many guests. And here at the farm guest are welcome to do precisely as they want. Mingle with other guests, get behind the grill and grill your own food. Or you could even make your own pizza. Once you are full, there's always a mattress in the lounge for you to lie down and chill till you are able to move again to your car to head back home.
Of'course we do not charge for mineral water and refreshments are included in the price.
'The Feast at The Farm' is by reservation only, priced at Rs 500.00 (plus taxes) per person. For RS 500, you choose what you want to eat and how much. Stay as long as you want to in the lounge (11:00 PM is closing time). So give us a heads up on +91 9176050562 and drop in. We recommend making reservations at least a day in advance. Whether you come alone or in a group, come hungry, very hungry.
Monday, May 4, 2009
Renovated and Re-opened
On the 21st of April The Farm re-opened its bright yellow and red doors to the world. The restaurant which was shut for renovations since December 2008 is again in business. We've built a new thatch roof, tables, chairs, the lounge, all of which was built using material from The Farm.
It’s been quite an experience with lots of lost sleep and even more lost hair. But the problems have been more or less solved. That included figuring out how to keep the flies out and how to get the roof up without cutting down our precious Coconut trees. So after three failed attempts at trying to get the roof right and months of planning we managed to get the roof almost ready. We also discovered new talent - we have someone at The Farm who can draw three dimensional engineering drawings and renderings.
The flies are kept out by the netting on the periphery. we were able to do that without blocking the fantastic sea breeze which keeps the temperature a few degrees lesser than the city. We've designed colourful dining chairs and they are made of wood from The Farm. To add colour to the restaurant we made them in 9 different colours. Even though they are built by us, they have been tested by everyone who has visited us since and not to mention the heaviest of our staff.
The prep kitchen is tiled and organized. We have moved all the cooking outdoors. Which also means that we finally have a 100% coal and wood-fired outdoor kitchen. The smokeless chulhas work great and the grill is 20 feet long. All that coal is manufactured from the wood at The Farm. But problems never cease and the next one crept up when we found out that the chimneys for both our clay ovens got blocked during renovations. Of course, lots of ranting and raging ensued till finally the chimneys were broken down, brick by agonizing brick and repaired.
The Lounge has been set up with divans for you to lie down after your over filled stomach refused to let you move. The food remains the same - unpretentious, wholesome and delicious, using the freshest and finest quality ingredients. All in all, the place looks great, complementing the food. We will also be more regular with weekly updates and pictures, so stay tuned.
So give us a call and drop in for a great time at The Farm.
It’s been quite an experience with lots of lost sleep and even more lost hair. But the problems have been more or less solved. That included figuring out how to keep the flies out and how to get the roof up without cutting down our precious Coconut trees. So after three failed attempts at trying to get the roof right and months of planning we managed to get the roof almost ready. We also discovered new talent - we have someone at The Farm who can draw three dimensional engineering drawings and renderings.
The flies are kept out by the netting on the periphery. we were able to do that without blocking the fantastic sea breeze which keeps the temperature a few degrees lesser than the city. We've designed colourful dining chairs and they are made of wood from The Farm. To add colour to the restaurant we made them in 9 different colours. Even though they are built by us, they have been tested by everyone who has visited us since and not to mention the heaviest of our staff.
The prep kitchen is tiled and organized. We have moved all the cooking outdoors. Which also means that we finally have a 100% coal and wood-fired outdoor kitchen. The smokeless chulhas work great and the grill is 20 feet long. All that coal is manufactured from the wood at The Farm. But problems never cease and the next one crept up when we found out that the chimneys for both our clay ovens got blocked during renovations. Of course, lots of ranting and raging ensued till finally the chimneys were broken down, brick by agonizing brick and repaired.
The Lounge has been set up with divans for you to lie down after your over filled stomach refused to let you move. The food remains the same - unpretentious, wholesome and delicious, using the freshest and finest quality ingredients. All in all, the place looks great, complementing the food. We will also be more regular with weekly updates and pictures, so stay tuned.
So give us a call and drop in for a great time at The Farm.
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